So we got to Basin Bridge, went past Vyasarpadi, where I was tempted to drop into the legendary campuses run by the Salesian priests, and got into Kavignar Kannadasan Nagar. Beyond is M. R. Nagar. These nagars sit in the Kodungaiyur zone which is known for the massive waste dump yard which had polluted this part of the city for ages.
The neatly laid-out colonies in M. R. Nagar impressed me. I have not studied the plans and growth of these colonies that have done well the past three decades but I may have the opportunity to know how one Reddiar came to own such vast tracts of land, how they got plotted and how people made good of their lives here.
My guide that afternoon was veteran journalist R. Rajagopal, a man I have known possibly from the years when he was the Ramnad district correspondent for a national newspaper and whom I bumped into regularly while covering, in the late 1980s, the Sri Lankan refugees influx into Tamil Nadu and later, militancy .
While going around M. R. Nagar, I noticed these community notice boards at the head of a few streets. One carried wishes for Women’s Day. RR told me that local volunteers took turns to post utility as well as social messages on these boards.
In this age of WhatsApp and SnapChat, these simple boards also play a role in social, local communication.
Now, let us toss this thought - how can public service as well as civic communication get amplified well in our neighbourhoods.
How can our voices be heard and respected at the proper levels?
Let us put aside our stream of plaints on potholed streets and aggressive cattle. Many people have simple, timely and practical ideas to suggest - to make life better. And they would like officials and politicians to consider them.
Today, two issues related to Sri Kapali Temple’s Panguni utsavam popped up. One; how can smarter regulations for vehicle movement be planned and enforced at utsavam time so people immerse the festival on all days? Can the regulations be publicised early?
Two: how do we ensure that food/snacks donated freely to devotees, at pandals and doorsteps on the mada streets on Arubathumoovar procession day is not wasted or flung across the streets? How best to streamline this practice?
If practical ideas are shared and impressed on officials, some good can come out of community action. My friend, Sanjay Pinto has amplified the traffic regulation suggestions from people, by tagging senior city police officers.
If we want local issues to be heard and bring good, there are a few smarter ways to highlight and push them. We must be at this. Sincerely.
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